people we've lost (people we've loved)
by 3rdgymbros
Summary: She remembers the awkward earnestness of the Fire Nation prince she was betrothed to – how clumsy his fingers had been when they'd clasped the bracelet around her wrist, all the uncertainty he'd felt laid bare for her to hear, even as he'd shyly told her that he would try to make her happy.


When the time draws for them all to go their separate ways, it feels inevitable. _Just another day on the job,_ Toph tries to tell herself, over the cold feeling of dread twisting her stomach into knots. She pads quietly over to Sokka amid the chaos of the pre-battle rush, dodging past several harried-sounding people. It's all or nothing today, and everyone knows it.

Sokka and Suki are waiting for her when she arrives. Sokka she can feel, his feet planted firmly in the earth, but she can't feel Suki, or the catlike grace with which she carries herself.

"Nothing runs quicker over land or swims faster in the water than a giant eel hound," She overhears Sokka's master saying – And. _Oh._ Toph pulls a face, realization and resignation sinking in.

She's gonna have to _ride_ that thing. Suki must already be astride it.

_Wonderful._

She can already feel the nausea building up.

Several feet away, Zuko and Katara are saddling Appa up in preparation for their trip to the Fire Nation, where he'll face his sister and claim the throne as Fire Lord. The bison bellows a war cry, his rank breath washing out over her. For a brief, split second, Toph finds herself wishing that she were going with them.

She'd _expected_ him to ask her to go with him. They were a _team_. Working together with soundless, seamless coordination, communicating in a kind of short-hand that had made no sense to anyone listening in but themselves. But he'd deliberately ignored the eagerness coming off her in waves, and even when she'd sent an accusatory glare his way after he'd asked _Katara_ to accompany him, he'd shifted uncomfortably in his seat, stubbornly refusing to meet her gaze burning a hole into the back of his neck.

It's been three months since she's met Zuko. Three months of her showing him _affection_ the only way she knew how, of her shoving her bedroll next to his when they set up camp, of her keeping him company when he'd volunteered for first watch, his voice a hushed whisper in her ear as he painted pictures for her about the constellations twinkling in the sky. They've come so far.

And now, they're going to go even farther.

Zuko's a capable bender, she doesn't doubt his abilities, but there's an antsy feeling burrowing under her skin, a persistent nagging at the back of her head telling her that _she needs to go with him._

"Toph?"

She pauses, her heart thundering in her chest as she turns towards the sound of his voice, as narrowed, sightless eyes meet the golden-brown gaze boring into her.

"Uh."

Zuko fumbles for words that stubbornly refuse to come. He's always been a bit of an awkward turtle duck, and that had endeared him to her, somehow. She knows the feeling, of trying to conjure up words when there aren't any to be said, and so she waits.

"Good luck," He says, lamely.

Oh.

"Yeah. Sure. You too."

"And . . ." She hears him swallow. Hard. And Toph feels the hard pressure of saying goodbye crash down on her shoulders.

Toph _flails._ There are so many things she wants to say. She can feel them in her throat, clogging up her airways, and she's terrified of what could happen if she lets them loose.

But last chances have a funny way of shaking up priorities, and it's Toph who lunges for him first.

She pushes herself up onto the tips of her toes, using the hard packed earth to bridge the head of space between them, now collapsing away into mere inches, centimeters, and her hands twist themselves into his hair as he snakes an arm around her waist. She wants _hours,_ she wants _weeks,_ she wants _more_ than these few seconds that do little to satisfy her. He holds her so tightly that his fingers bite into her sides, and in return, she kisses him with everything she has.

It's just _him,_ and _her,_ and everything else falls away.

Zuko groans, the sound vibrating against her chest, sending shivers scurrying down her spine. Knowing him, he plans to keep this short, and as chaste as possible. Besmirching her honor won't do, after all. But as always, Toph has other ideas, and she grins, running her tongue against the soft curve of his mouth, as a hand slides down to cradle his jaw.

When they break apart, she buries her nose in the crook of his neck, his hands settle on her waist, and they stay like that: giddy, flushed, out of breath, knowing what comes next, but both of them unwilling to break apart to confront it.

It's only when someone – Uncle Iroh, possibly – clears their throat, sounding far too amused, that they snap out of it. Toph wrenches herself, reluctantly, out of Zuko's grip and moves away, tilting up her chin defiantly, daring _someone,_ _anyone _to comment on what they've just seen. Everyone is wise enough not to, though she can feel the weight of their stares pinning her in place. Zuko inhales, shakily, and a smirk darts across Toph's face when she realizes that his next exhale tinges the air with a hint of smoke, sending the surrounding temperatures spiking upwards.

"I should probably . . ." He starts.

"Get going, Sparky." Toph heads over to the eel hound, fumbling for the stirrups. Her cheeks are now burning, and her voice is high, almost unnaturally so. "_You_ still owe me a field trip, and I'm collecting when you come back."

Not _if._

_When. _

It's an unspoken _warning_, a _promise,_ and he knows it.

She's just about to haul herself up – or, even worse, fall flat on her face – when his hand comes down on her shoulder, twisting her away from the beast and back to face him. Gingerly, he brushes inky black strands of hair away from her forehead. "Be careful."

And then, just like that, he turns and sprints for Appa before Toph can get the last word in.

She pushes off the ground, with a nifty added boost from the hard-packed earth, and scrambles onto the sleek back of the eel hound, cursing fire nation princes under her breath as Appa bellows and careens into the sky with a slap of his tail.

"So," Sokka says carefully. She can hear the glee in his voice, feel the laughter he's suppressing. "You and Zuko, huh? When did that happen?"

Clenching her jaw, Toph punches him in the ribs.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm. Really in too deep with this pairing. I'm back with another Toko one shot, and I hope that you guys enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it! Please leave a review!


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